Archers and warriors
by Freewhale
Summary: Zaheer escaped and reformed Red Lotus. Red Lotus has been carrying several terrorist attacks on governments around the world to spread anarchy. Now, it seems they have acquired an weapon of mass-destruction, enriched spirit vine. It’s up to Kyoshi warriors and Yuyan archers to stop them. A short story dedicated to non-bending warriors of the Avatar universe.
1. Archers

"The targets are sighted in coordinate N13.32 E56.73. Prepare to engage."

Radio babbled. Then, a biplane flew on low altitude. The sound was deafening. Then, an explosion was heard and the plane crashed.

"Take cover!"

Sergeant Tae-won shouted.

It's the combustion men again. Private Sukho thought.

"Kyoshi Six to Yuyan. Need fire support here. Red Lotus air benders are blocking our advance." Kyoshi warriors asked for help in the Radio.

"Private Sukho and specialist JaeJoon. Load your MB-3 with EEA. Fire EEA at the tornado formation and break the air benders." The Sergeant ordered. "The rest prepare to charge after they break the tornado formation. Red Lotus Air benders would be waiting for us."

Sukho detached Standard Explosive Arrow magazine from Mechanized Bow-3 and replaced with Enhanced Explosive Arrow. MB-3 also known as Thrower looked weird. It looked like a steam beam with a small box attached to it, but anyone who had worked it in the Fire Nation military knew the lethality of the weapon. 10 semi-automatic shots less than 10 seconds. Quick and easy reload. Able to fire almost all form of ammunition from standard projectile arrows to enhanced explosive arrows. Longer range than bending. It's one of few non-bending weapons effective against benders in the battlefield.

"Yuyan to Kyoshi Six. We are coming. Where is the target?" Radio operator Liu shouted to the radio. "And how many?"

"About half a dozen airbenders making tornadoes. We cannot go closer. Oh, there is two flying air benders and..." Radio went dead. It's clear that the flying air benders hit the Kyoshi radio operator. Sukho thought the mission became a complete disaster. The intelligence they were given was completely wrong. It said there would only few dozens of non-benders guarding the warehouse. But, what they are facing is air benders and combustion benders. He started to think his team might not be able to retrieve the enriched spirit vine rod stolen from Earth Empire Research Center.

"The most destructive weapon Red Lotus guarded by a few non-benders. It was too good to true." Specialist JaeJoon sighed.

The squad marched and went over a ridge. Then, they spotted a huge tornado. "what the... When the reinforcement coming?" Private Eoni despaired.

Radio rang again and the operator called the sergeant. "Sir, It's commander Kuzu."

The Sergeant quickly picked up the radio and had a conversation with the commander. After having the conversation, he gathered his troops.

"The commander told that reinforcement coming soon. It seems the first attempt by Kyoshi warriors to capture the device failed. Our mission here would be containing Red Lotus and even capturing the device if possible." The Sergeant explained. "We would have full access to air support from FN Eastern carrier group. Also. an EU bomber squadron from Omashu would arrive soon. We can and have to stop them..."

A blast of wind knocked down a tree nearby. It was the flying men again.

"Move! Move! Move! Our position is exposed." The sergeant ordered as he climbed down the mountain.

10 Yuyan archers rushed down the mountain while taking cover in deep forested area. Fortunately, it seems the flying men did not spotted the soldiers. Then, the sergeant held his right hand up to signal everyone to stop. He signaled everyone to take cover.

Everyone hid behind trees or rocks and prepared their weapons. Private Hun and specialist Sae-un prepared AMB-2 automatic thrower. Its drum magazine would rain down over 60 projectile arrows on the enemies.

Several people in black robe walked into range. The black robes has red strips in it. It was Red Lotus. Sukho aimed at a Red Lotus fighter. He closely looked at the target. It was a small innocent-looking girl in her late teens. But he knew better. He remembered how one Earth bending teenager tried to kill Suyin Beifong, the Secretary General of Earth Union. Everyone said that if Suyin had not been a skilled metal bender herself, she would have been killed that day. Young Red Lotus were as dangerous as adults.

He only saw the color of the uniform. He remembered how many people they brutally killed by Red Lotus. Zaheer escaped from his prison 2 years ago and re-established connection with Red Lotus sleeper cells. He recruited many air benders who did not join Air Nomad and launched a devastating campaign of terror. They suffocated the speaker of United Republic of Nations Congress to death. There was also an indiscriminate shooting incident using fire bending near Fire Nation royal palace, which was orchestrated by Red Lotus and killed over 100 people. Sukho believed that anyone this armed insurgency need to be killed.

The Sergeant signaled his comrades to fire. Sokho fired EEA. The whole squad fired at the same time.

The mechanical sound of throwers and explosive sound of EEA thundered across the valley. Smoke from exploding EEA himdered the sight. Few seconds later smoke disappeared. About a dozen fighters were lying dead. But, his target dodged. Sukho thought she hid behind a rock nearby and reloaded to shoot again. He heard a blast of wind and cracking sound. A tree fell and he have to move to avoid being squashed below. He heard a scream. An explosion shook the ground. It was combustion bender. Sukho realized that he needed to reload Standar Projectile Arrow. EEA might be powerful it was too slow. Sukho thought SPA would be fast enough to take down the combustion bender. He took cover in a pit and looked for the combustion bender.

"Enemy your 6 o'clock!" Specialist JaeJoon yelled. Then Suhko looked back and realized that the combustion bender was aiming at him. He tried to avoid the fire but it was too late. He managed to avoid the explosion itself. But, a tree truck nearby got smashed and a sharp sticks broken from there hit his side. He could feel the blood spilling. JaeJoon quickly fired back and another soldier dragged him out of the pit.

"Are you okay?" JaeJoon asked.

"I'm okay. It didn't hit me directly." Sukho said as he tided himself over. He picked up his thrower again and looked for the target. Several thrower shots were heard and the ground was shaking with the explosions made by the combustion bender. Then, green figures showed. He saw the combustion bender down. It was Kyoshi warriors. A strike by a fan of Kyoshi warrior took down the combustion bender. It seemed some Kyoshi warriors survived the first attempt. Kyoshi warriors started to take down several Red Lotus fighters who survived the initial suppressing fire from the Yuyan archers. Then, the Kyoshi warrior who took down the combustion bender got hit by a blast of wind. He quickly looked for the air bender who shot her. It was his first target. The air bender took down one or two Kyoshi warriors and hindering the advance of his squad with her air bending. He aimed at the girl. He told to himself.

"I will not miss this time."

He didn't miss this time. The arrow hit her on her shoulder and she stopped the wind. She reached out to take out the arrow, but few seconds were enough for Kyoshi warriors to take down her. Yuyan Archers came out of their cover and approached Kyoshi warriors.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Sergeant Tae-won." The Sergeant greeted the warriors.

"Good to see you too. I'm senior warrior Doyo. It's good that you arrived." The kyoshi warrior who seemed to be the leader replied.

"Where is everyone else? I heard that a platoon of Kyoshi warrior was deployed to retrieve the device but there is only 6 of you." The Sergeant asked.

"12 dead 10 missing 2 badly injured. The whole platoon collapsed." The tired warrior answered. "We were on retreat and saw you fighting those Red Lotus fighters."

"How is the situation in the warehouse?" The concerned Sergeant asked.

"Bad. Air benders in Red Lotus are dangerous warriors. Their tornado formation is quite dangerous. They not only hinder our advance but also seems to suffocate people approaching the formation."

"How many Red Lotus fighters were present in the warehouse?" Tae-won inquired.

"9 air benders, 3 combustion benders and few dozens of non-benders. We took down most of non-benders but failed to take out the benders." Doyo answered.

"It seems some air strikes are needed." Tae-won suggested. "Earth Union bomber airships are coming to destroy their formation. Also, biplanes from Fire Nation Eastern carriers would be coming soon."

"But we cannot bomb the warehouse itself . The device might blow up and several villages are within blast radius." Doyo countered. "We need to attack when your whole platoon arrives."

"Then, I will call surgical strikes not carpet bombing." The sergeant answered.

He picked up the radio and called to bombers. "We need surgical strikes on the fortifications near the warehouse. But, do not bomb the warehouse itself."

High up in the sky, several airships showed up. They quickly approached the target and started dropping bombs. But, the bombs failed to reach the ground.


	2. Explosion

The bombs exploded mid air. It was the tornado again. The tornado prevented bombs from destroying Red Lotus position. Senior warrior Doyo never had thought airbenders can be this dangerous in the battle field before this mission. Over half of her platoon was dead or missing.

Flying men returned. 'I have a bad feeling about this.' The blasts of wind hit the ground. Their position was exposed. The Red Lotus airbenders were throwing the air blasts at them. Trees exploded into pieces and scattered all around. Soils were flying all around hindering her view.

"Shield!"

Doyo shouted. Kyoshi warriors took out their shields and headed to a defensive position. The flying fragments of rocks and trees from the air blasts traveled at extremely high speed. It was not that dangerous for her and her team. Their armors and shields provides some protection. But, Yuyan archers were not. She could hear screams and groaning of archers. Several archers seemed to have been hit. Then, Sergeant Tae-won screamed. She quickly went to Tae-won to examine him. Sadly, it was a direct shot. His grey uniform turned red with his blood. Several bloody flesh were scattered all around him. It seemed clear that his internal organs exploded because of the air blast. one more archers met a similar fate and 2 archers were bleeding from the wounds. She realized it was time to regroup. She quickly surveyed the area. She saw a small cave. It seemed it would be safe if they took cover under the rock. She grabbed one of bleeding Archer and helped him stand up.

,

"Archers, fire smoke grenade. Evacuate the area." The senior warrior yelled while pointing at the rock. "Warriors help the injured evacuate. We would regroup under that rock."

Private Sukho fired a smoke grenade into sky. Then, he helped specialist JaeJoon get out of the place. JaeJoon got injured by the high-speed peddle and was bleeding on right shoulder. Private Eoni shot at the sky to distract the air benders. Then, there was a splashing sound. Red liquid and rocks poured on him. He was bathing on private Enoi's blood. He was too afraid to look back. He ran to the rock while carrying the specialist on his back. He almost there. Then, there was a blast nearby. He fell down.

Doyo saw two archers tripping over a rock just outside the cave. Doyo rushed out and dragged them into the shadow of the huge rock. The smoke is almost disappearing and no one should be left behind to cover the tracks. After entering the cave, she started to count the survivors. All six surviving warriors survived. But, 2 archers were killed and 2 were injured. The squad leader was killed. This situation was worse than she had thought.

"Who is in command now?" Doyo asked while glaring at the unpaved road outside of the cave.

"It's specialist Sae-un." Private Hun answered while checking his AMB-2.

"Specialist Sae-un, what's your plan from now?" Doyo asked while watching out any signs of enemies.

"Red Lotus now know that we know the location of the device. They will try to move to somewhere else. However, the enriched spirit vine rod is quite heavy and they would need trucks or aircrafts. We need to stop any trucks or aircrafts from entering..." Sae-un explained.

"But, we don't have anti-aircraft weapon." Doyo interjected.

"Our platoon is coming with MAAL. Also, biplanes from Fire Nation Eastern carrier group would shoot down any aircraft trying to enter this place." Sae-un explained. "The only thing we have to do is to stop any trucks from entering or leaving here."

"Mobile Anti-Air Launcher would be enough to shoot down any aircraft coming in." Doyo commented.

"What if Red Lotus has an airship within the warehouse?" Specialist JaeJoon questioned the plan.

"We destroyed it. An airship were parked in front of the warehouse and we blew them up." Doyo asserted.

"Then, we only have to block the road here and destroy any vehicles try to pass the area." Sae-un concluded.

"Okay. Let's go." Doyo agreed. "Warriors prepare for the battle."

Kyoshi warriors prepared their new fans. These still looked traditional but it could electrify the target. It was the invention of Assami Sato of Future Industry. Doyo was a traditionalist but still loved this new addition to the arsenal of Kyoshi. It improved battle efficiency while preserving tradition.

While other warriors were preparing for the battle, the wounded were given first aid. The radio operator Liu got cut by the scattering wooden fragments. Blood was bursting out of his right arm. A Kyoshi warrior who was giving first aid to him was literally soaked his blood. Specialist Sae-un who was watching the treatment turned his head and approached Private Sukho.

"Private Sukho. I heard that you graduated from Technical School of East Tae-chi. Do you know how to operate radio?" Sae-un asked.

"Yes sir. I know how to handle radio." Sukho answered.

"Then, you follow me. I need you to operate radio. I think we need to consult with the platoon leader before we make a next move." Sae-un signaled him to follow him.

Sae-un showed Sukho FN-AM-12 radio which Liu carried. It was still stained with the blood. Sukho started to operate the radio. The instrumental panel was soaked also with the blood. Sukho doubted whether this radio would operate. Fortunately, despite several damage, the radio was still functional and encryption system was also operational. He adjusted the frequency to contact the platoon leader.

"This is Major Kuzu of Yuyan brigade Whale company. What's the status report?" A stern voice came out of radio.

"This is Specialist Sae-un and the acting commander of the squad. We lost two men and two men need to be evacuated. We need reinforcement." Sae-un replied.

"Any survivors of Kyoshi warriors?" The major asked.

"6 of them survived. We lost too much to advance. We need reinforcement now. I'm not sure whether we can even hold our ground." The specialist said.

"Reinforcement is coming soon. But, I have a bad news for you." The major said grimly. "A Red Lotus convoy broke through the blockade line held by Earth Union forces in the North. There are heading to the warehouse through Foa passage."

"Foa passage? We are here now." Sae-un responded.

"Then, it's your task to stop the convey. If you fail to stop the convey, Operation wildfire would be implemented. Observer Dorim from Pine Forest Institute would explain further." The major stated.

Then, a soft but firm voice came out of the radio.

"This is Senior observer Dorim from Pine Forest Institute. The operation wildfire would be implemented if you fail. We got authorization from coalition command to use J-penetrator directly on the warehouse."

They were trying to use J-Thermal on the spirit device. Sukho shivered. Sukho thought he was going to die. It would detonate the device and Everything within 10km would be incinerated.

"Are you insane? The device would explode. There are still thousands of civilians and soldiers within the blast radius and they will..."Sae-un protested.

"Be incinerated. J-Thermal will trigger spirit reaction would start. Considering the intelligence that there is about 660Kg of enriched spirit vine, everything within 30km would be incinerated." Dorim explained. "But, if we let them go, millions will die and world would be chaos. According to intelligence, these devices are expected to be smuggled into each nations' capital and would be detonated there. Also, several villages near the site are controlled by Red Lotus. We cannot evacuate them."

"Then, we will stop the convoy. There would be no 'wildfire' if we succeed?"

"Yes, there would be no wildfire. Reinforcement would reach there soon. Hold your ground until then. Good Luck."

Radio went silent. Sukho and Sae-un was silent. They realized that that the failure of the mission means certain deaths of thousands of people.

"Should we tell others?" Sukho asked.

"I will discuss it with Doyo, first." Sad-un said as he loaded his weapon. "You are now radio operator. Keep close contact with the HQ."

The archers and warriors marched to Foa valley and prepared an ambush. Yuyan Archers started to dig trenches so that it would provide some cover. Kyoshi warriors climbed up trees and prepared to ambush the convoy from above. Considering the fact that the area was heavily forested, it is likely that vanguards would never be able to detect the ambush before it starts.

Just as they finished their preparation, several trucks and dozens of people started to march into the valley. It was Red Lotus.


End file.
